Recently, I've been warming to the idea of eBooks. Yes, yes, there's nothing like the feel of a dead tree in your hand, nothing like the smell of a musty old bookshop, nothing like propping up your wobbly table with an old copy of "Her Lusty Desires", blah blah blah. I'm with the pro-wood pulp folks on all of those points. But lately, I've taken to downloading a few short story collections and novellas for reading on my smartphone and, I have to say, I kind of like it. Okay, sure, reading on something bigger like a dedicated eReader or tablet might be better, but whatever. My phone's conveniently always with me, I _really_ don't need another $150 to $500 gadget in my life, and, to paraphrase a line my wife is fond of repeating, I don't mind the small size at all.

That being said, if there's one constant thing about my eBook reading habits, it's that I'm always sitting down when I read. I'm either in an office chair, on the couch, in bed, or in the bathroom. Even with a full-time writing gig, a baby, and a home to keep up with, I really don't have _so much_ to do that I feel the need to read while I'm attempting to do other things.

Apparently, however, some do.

Megareader's latest update to its iPhone app seeks to make it the eReader of choice for those with very little time to relax with a good book. Using the new "Heads-Up Display", the app uses your camera to put a live video feed of whatever is in front of you behind the text so that you can read and watch what you're doing at the time, possibly so that you don't walk into a copy machine or so you can spot the shady guy on the bus who's been eyeing your phone since you started waving it around like an idiot.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm sure it's a fine app and all, but it kinda makes me just a little sad to know that someone decided there was a need for this. Honestly, is it that hard to take a few minutes to read nowadays, or am I just still so old fashioned that I should start chasing whippersnappers off of my lawn?

[via psfk]